Director Agam Mann has spent a lot of time exploring the concept of photography with intricacy.

Agam Mann

Alongside his brother Azeem Mann, Agam has directed the music videos for a discography that the entire nation frolicked to. The Mann brothers have been giving faces to most reveled-in Indian music videos ever since, and as their videos got bigger, their ambitions did too.

In an excerpt from the interview, Agam talks about his early life, aspirations, and the duo that he forms with his brother.

How and when did you recognize your inclination towards the filmmaking industry?

Well, I was 12 when I knew that a picture was powerful enough to tell a thousand stories. So I completed an inter-mediatory photography course from the Objectifs Visual Arts Centre Singapore at 13, and by the time I turned 14, I found myself producing my first short film. This "inclination" has only grown stronger since. I was 15 when I directed my first short film Chandigarh and after that, I went ahead to work on Indie films which I wrote, directed, shot, and edited all on my own.

Will you tell us a little more about The Agam-Azeem duo?

Azeem has always been one of my greatest supporters and a powerhouse of talent and creativity, so when we first came together to work as directional-duo, magic happened. Today, we have directed over a hundred commercial videos. We've gotten to work with myriad gifted and skilled artists who are nothing short of sensational in both the Hindi and the Punjabi music industries. Some of the most fun that we've had during our journey was while working with Karan Aujla, Sidhu Moose Wala, Parmish Verma, Neha Kakkar, Tony Kakkar, and Akhil, and as amusing as it was, working on their music videos has left us more inspired than we've ever been.

We've heard a little hush-hush about a film. Is it true?

Yes, there's going to be a film soon. It's a feature film. I have always wanted to be a director and directing all these music videos has given me a better understanding and a lot of insight into the art of filmmaking. Azeem and I have had plenty of experience and we think there's never going to be a better time than right now to write and direct our own film. Currently, the film is in its writing stage.

Do you have any word of advice for aspiring filmmakers?

Being passionate helps us manifest what we desire. It doesn't really matter what equipment you use or if you have the required budget for it. The only thing that counts is how much you love your work. Like Mike Nichols said "The only safe thing is to take a chance." and since technology has become so accessible, with everything is on the internet, you just need to pick up your smartphone, create content, and take that chance.